Thread: Help. Tracking expenses/hours/profit

My boyfriend just bought off my mom's bf's lawn mowing company which leaves me with all the paperwork. I've been wanting to do an excel sheet to track expenses, hours worked and profit.
I've been thinking of doing an excel sheet with
Client name, contract #, address, number, job to be done, price charge

I would also like to have my boyfriend fill out a document every work day with info n the date he went to do services of x,y,z client, job start time and end time, and total time it took.

Anyone have excel sheets they are using they would like to share with us or any tips or knowledge? It would be greatly appreciated as we are starting out.

If you know excel then use it. Advantage to excel is you can always add columns as you see the need to break down things into separate totals.The need to refine things will happen on it's own.

You just keep track of all the money going out and all the money coming in and all the hours worked for the season/year.

From that point you will see true costs of running the business. Repairs, maintenance, line, oil, fuel for equipment, fuel truck, business ins, how much salary BF took. Profit left to buy new equipment which means ability to afford a new truck, mower. When anything wears out if it can not be replaced BF is out of business.

Sad but true I know a LCO with the 15 year old pick up, bad credit, afraid to raise his prices. Had to have his daughter co sign on for a new Toro WB that would fit in the back of his pick up bed. Yes bed, has no trailer. He's been doing this for 12 years. Still doing lawns for the $25 price he started out with most of his customers.

This is what happens when you use price to get work instead of quality.